Regional Reporter

Law Business Research•Chicago, IL

21h

About The Position

Join us for a bright future…Discover where your talent fits best at ALM! Our network of more than 450+ employees globally is united by a shared understanding that the work we do makes a direct impact on the success of our customers and audiences. Our collaborative environment provides a vast amount of opportunities for career development. Our goal is to hire industry’s top talent, offer growth opportunities and provide a fulfilling working environment. Here at ALM, we are a customer-focused and market-driven company dedicated to the success of the customers we serve with our information products and marketing services and events. Across ALM, our teams deliver premium content to professionals in the legal, finance, real estate and insurance industries. We promote and value innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. We believe that integrity must be at the heart of everything we do. We foster an environment of trust and teamwork and believe that employee empowerment drives our progress and success as a business. We insist on quality and continuous improvement in all that we do. We have a winning attitude and seek to celebrate all of our successes … big and small. The Role We are seeking an ambitious, enterprising reporter to build and own coverage of the Chicago legal community. This reporter will cover the lawyers, law firms, judges, and cases that shape the business and practice of law in one of the country’s most important legal markets. This is a beat-building role from the ground up. The right candidate will be comfortable cultivating sources, working the phones, showing up in person, and becoming a familiar—and trusted—presence within the Chicago legal ecosystem. The Team On Law.com's Regional Desk, we cover the lawsuits, lawyers and judges making national headlines. We move fast and are often on the go—covering hearings and trials or meeting with key players in our ecosystem. We are a newsroom that enjoys nerding out about our coverage areas with each other and are quick to offer up a source or perspective to one another. If diligently tracking emerging case law and charting the world's most influential lawyers sounds like fun to you, you're in the right place. Why This Role Matters Chicago is a legal powerhouse, and this reporter will define how we cover it. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a high-impact beat, break meaningful news, and become the go-to journalist for lawyers and legal leaders across the region.

Requirements

A strong reporter’s instinct for what matters—and what’s next—in the legal industry.
The confidence and curiosity to build a beat from scratch , identifying stories before they’re obvious.
Willingness to meet people face to face , attend hearings, firm events, bar association meetings, and industry gatherings.
Comfort working the phones , developing sources, and maintaining regular contact with attorneys, judges, and court officials.
The ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, compelling journalism for a professional audience.
Sharp news judgment, strong writing skills, and a commitment to accuracy and fairness.
The initiative to generate story ideas independently and pursue them aggressively.

Nice To Haves

Experience covering law, courts, business, or a similarly complex beat.
Familiarity with the Chicago or Illinois legal market is a plus, but not required.
A track record of source-driven reporting and enterprise stories.
Comfort working in a fast-paced newsroom environment with high standards.

Responsibilities

Mid-size law firms as the core of the beat, including firm strategy, growth and lateral moves.
Major cases and litigation trends shaping the Chicago and Illinois legal landscape, with an emphasis on civil litigation.
Keeping an eye on key players within the court system, tracking which firms are getting the big cases and proactively getting insights into the fallout from major court decisions.
Judges and courts , including key rulings, judicial appointments, caseloads, court administration, and developments inside state and federal courts.
Rules and policy changes , including updates to civil procedure, court administration, and other regulatory shifts affecting legal practice.
The business of law , including firm management, client dynamics, and broader market trends.